It is April 2017, and Samsung has just deleted the bezels. The Galaxy S8 is a breathtaking technical departure that has redefined what a smartphone should look like. By removing the physical Home button and moving the fingerprint sensor to the back, Samsung has created the ‘Infinity Display’, a 5.8-inch screen that occupies almost the entire front of the device. At 155g, it is incredibly narrow and comfortable to hold, featuring a symmetrical ‘glass sandwich’ design that flows seamlessly from the curved front to the curved back. In the UK, it has arrived as the most futuristic device ever released.
The technical headline is the 5.8-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display with a unique 18.5:9 aspect ratio. With a resolution of 2960 x 1440 and 570 PPI, it is the first smartphone screen to be certified by the UHD Alliance as ‘Mobile HDR Premium.’ It offers a cinematic viewing experience that makes traditional 16:9 phones look ancient. Under the hood, the UK model is powered by the 10nm Exynos 8895 octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM. This 10nm architecture provides a massive boost in efficiency and performance, handling the new ‘Samsung Experience’ interface with ease.
Imaging remains top-tier with a 12-megapixel ‘Dual Pixel’ sensor that features improved multi-frame image processing for better clarity and low-light performance. It also introduces ‘Bixby,’ Samsung’s new AI assistant, and ‘DeX,’ which allows you to plug the phone into a monitor to create a desktop computing experience. Connectivity is exhaustive: Gigabit LTE, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0 (a world first), and IP68 water resistance. It also features multiple biometric options, including a new Iris Scanner for high-security unlocking. The Galaxy S8 is a technical and aesthetic triumph; it is the phone that finally pushed the industry into the bezel-less era.